Silent Hill: Purgatory
by xJamesxPyramidHeadx
Summary: The town of Silent Hill serves as retribution for our darkest sins. Why, then, have two innocent women been trapped inside? Are they caught up in James' nightmare, or are they not as innocent as they seem?
1. One

**A/N: Noa748 here! Well, here's the first chapter to a story we've been working on for a while now. Title is...subject to change. We suck at naming things. Any recommendations, post 'em in a review. :3 **

**Okay, this has mostly elements from SH2, and Jamesy-poo is present because he's cool like that. The two OCs, Kila and Tess, interrupt him around the time after he gets out of the hospital (it never turned into nightmare hospital like it was supposed to because it was feeling nice that day). Oh, and Maria? She'll be briefly referenced, but for the most part she's out. James never gets lonely enough to need her because he has two girls following him everywhere. (sorry, James.)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

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_"With every light there is a shadow, and with every shadow there is a light."_

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**Silent Hill**

"Ugh. Where am I?" Kila stood up with one hand to her head.

Alone, she was on a road. It was one that seemed as endless as time itself, engulfed in a fog. Kila stood in its center, lost and unamused. She panicked slightly and looked at her hands. They were shaking as she noticed something around her wrist-- the only legible part was a name.

"Kila Kiss." She frowned. "That seems...unusual, but at the same time it's familiar." She glanced around.

It was just the wind, right?

"It must be mine, then why else would it be on me...AH!" This time both hands flew to her head as overwhelming pain pulsated through her head.

Odd, fuzzy and abstract images dared not to make sense. Kila visualized pure light, a red-orange and furious fire, and then felt a different kind of pain. It wasn't physical, but something else. A tear slid down her cheek.

A rumbling noise faded in the distance-- a vehicle. "People! They can tell me where I am!" Kila decided to follow the noise among the fog.

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_A little while earlier-_

Miles of highway rushed past her as she drove in her old Chevy Cobalt. Tess couldn't help but grin-- today had been so easy. It was her first time driving such a long distance, and she'd built it up to be some huge difficult thing. As it turned out, most of the trip was spent going a straight line on the highway. Hell, she could've done this blindfolded!

Her grin suddenly fell. Crap, maybe not. In her sudden burst of confidence, she'd gone and taken the wrong exit. Hopefully this wouldn't be too much of a detour.

She took a couple glances at her map, figuring out which roads to take in order to get back on track. Feeling satisfied, she put the map aside and continued onwards.

Then things got confusing. Roads started appearing that weren't shown on the map, and Tess began to question herself. Dammit, she'd jinxed herself, hadn't she? The road she was on was unmarked, as were all the others, so she couldn't tell if she'd really gone the right way.

She spent a short while trying to figure it out, growing more and more frustrated with the map, convinced that it was severely outdated. Finally, Tess sighed and reached a decision. It was getting too foggy to find her way around very well-- she was in a marshy area and the temperature had risen while she was driving. She'd have to call her dad, who had been tailing her to make sure she did all right. She'd lost him after turning on the wrong exit, but she would have to call him now so he could find her and get her out of this mess. She was probably going in circles, anyway.

The phone rang for a second or two, and her father picked up. "Where are you?" he asked immediately, a touch of humor in his tone. She smiled, her previous frustration slipping away. He'd already guessed what the problem was, and was ready to poke fun at her.

"Yeah, I'm kinda lost."

"Well, where did I lose you?"

"I took the wrong exit, and couldn't find my way back...the map's a piece of shit, as far as being helpful goes."

"All right..." he said in mock exasperation. "I guess I can come and find--"

His voice was cut off by an earsplitting burst of static. Tess dropped the phone, jumping in her seat. The car swerved, and she barely managed to keep it on the road.

"Holy shit..." she breathed. What the fuck was that?

The car passed something, standing still on the side of the road. She frowned, catching a glimpse of it in her rearview mirror. It was too far to make out detail, but...it looked sort of like a statue, watching her drive by. She had a strong sense of admission, like the statue had been decorating a gate.

That was an odd impression...

The static had stopped as quickly as it started, and she cautiously pressed the phone to her ear again. "Dad?"

"...can't help you anymore. Too late."

"Huh?"

"You'll have to find the way out for yourself. I don't have time; I've got a meeting to go to."

"What? Dad, I'm lost! Screw the meeting!"

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say." He sounded truly exasperated this time, and she was hurt. He cared more about a stupid meeting than helping his own daughter?

Suddenly a thought occurred to her. It was utterly ridiculous, but...her dad would never abandon her! He'd been so supportive and helpful the entire day...

"You're not really my dad, are you." The statement sounded more idiotic with every word.

But he didn't reply.

Her blood ran cold; why didn't he laugh, or say something? Unless...no.

Finally he did reply-- an inhuman gurgle that caused her to flip the phone shut and drop it, hands trembling. What the hell was going on?!

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. It had been a long drive, and she was hearing things. She slowed the car to a stop, contemplating this. That had to be the case-- she was falling asleep at the wheel because she was driving while tired.

Tess sighed; she was officially in the middle of nowhere. She was lost on a foggy road, and she was hearing things...delightful. She turned her head to the left, wanting to survey her surroundings a little more.

A face watched her through the window.

She screamed, twisting violently away, trying to distance herself from the window. She only succeeded in tangling herself up in the seatbelt.

The man jumped back from her car, hearing her cries; the window had been rolled down a little.

Tess hyperventilated for a moment, staring at the man with wide, uncomprehending eyes.

He recovered faster than she did, leaning forward to the window.

"Hey, don't be scared. It's all right." he said, trying to sound soothing. "I didn't mean to stare in like that. Sorry."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Still extremely shaken, she couldn't stop herself from yelling at him. Maybe he hadn't meant to stare in, but he sure as hell did!

Her voice lost its aggressive quality completely, though, when it cracked several times. She thought to unbuckle her seatbelt, untangling herself. Against her better judgment, Tess got out of the car so she could speak to him more easily. Even if this guy was a psycho, she had enough adrenaline pumping through her right now to beat the shit out of him.

He backed away from her, throwing his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Hey, hey. I really didn't mean to scare you."

Tess frowned, forcing herself to calm down. If this guy really was harmless, maybe he could give her directions.

"Well, you sure as hell did. What were you doing looking into my window like that, anyway? Talk about creepy."

"I--I was just surprised. I haven't seen another person in a while." He lowered his hands, looking Tess over with piercing blue eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now her frown deepened. "Wait, I guess that does make sense...the road's been deserted for a while now. I guess I never really noticed it."

He looked surprised. "You...just arrived here?"

"Um, yeah." Arrived? So this was a specific place?

His brow furrowed. "When you were driving...how long was it like this?" He gestured around us.

"What, foggy? About an hour...around the time I got hopelessly lost." She said this last part in a half groan.

"Lost..." He seemed to contemplate this, then shook his head. "Look..." He paused.

"Tess." She told him, and he nodded.

"James." He said, and continued, "You should probably come with me. This town isn't safe..."

"...Town?" She asked quietly, confused.

James pointed to the sign at the side of the road in reply to her question. It read:

_Welcome to Silent Hill._

"Silent Hill..." She read softly, then shook her head. "If the town's dangerous, I'll find a way around."

James shook his head, looking at her with sad eyes. _If only life weren't so cruel,_ those eyes said.

"It's not dangerous in the way you think," he said, "This town...isn't normal."

Tess felt her skin pale. Not normal?

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

His face grew even more solemn, betraying his reluctance. Finally he put a hand on her shoulder, and led her down the road from whence she came.

They hadn't gone very far before the road simply...ended. It was as if something monstrous had carved it away; the dropoff lead into an infinite mist. This was where that statue had been, wasn't it?

Her hand moved tentatively to her mouth, and she felt a sense of vertigo as she looked down into the deadly chasm the road had become.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Tess remarked in a weak voice, and James gripped both of her shoulders to steady her. He led her away from the dropoff and back towards her car. She leaned against it, staring at her feet.

After a moment, she spoke. "James?"

"Yes?"

"Why did the road disappear?" It was the only somewhat coherent question she could seem to form.

"...I don't know. Maybe we're not supposed to leave."

"Not supposed to..." she trailed off, her voice failing her. She was silent for a minute, trying to grasp what was happening. Suddenly another thought came to mind, and she voiced it.

"That statue...where did it go?

"What statue?" James frowned.

"It was standing on the side of the road when I came. Back where that dropoff is now. It had this weird, pyramid shaped helmet..."

James's eyes widened. "That wasn't a statue. Stay away from him." His voice had taken on a warning note, and he was looking around, alert.

"Him?" She asked, tensing up due to James's behavior.

"We should probably get away from here before he shows up again." He told her, looking troubled.

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**Review? :D**


	2. Two

**A/N: Okay, decided to put up a new chapter before school starts up again. Thanks to L. Damarik Laizare for reviewing!**

**Unfortunately, a lot of this is already written up, so the most the two of us can do is improve our writing in future parts...o_o **

**For the record, everything seems a lot longer when it's written on paper. XD Anyway....**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Silent Hill.**

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James grabbed her arm and started to run. Quickly, they took a turn and James ran into something.

"AH!" James and Kila yelled in unison.

James lifted himself up slightly, but stopped suddenly. Not too far away, they all could hear long, loud screeching noises...metal on rock.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Kila took a deep breath, noticing the expression on James's face.

"There's no time to talk now. We've got to move, or we're dead." James stood up and aided the girl to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I guess. My name's Kila by the way--" She stopped mid sentence to a static wave of sound. "I-uh--"

James shoved a hand over her mouth to signal silence, and held eye contact with Tess to deliver the same message. Steadily, the static grew louder, and the screeching, haunting noises returned.

"Come on, we might be safer inside the apartment buildings." With a motion of his hand, he pointed the direction for them to head in.

Together they ran, as the static slowly subsided with any other noise other than their feet on the pavement and panting breaths.

A car appeared on the side of the road. Bloody, a crimson corps, messy and distraught, leaned against it. In its hand was a sheet of paper.

Tess covered her mouth; her virgin eyes of Silent Hill were no more. "Who could have done this?"

"Him."

"Who?" Kila questioned James.

"That Pyramid Head guy." Seeing the still confused expression on her face, he continued. "You haven't seen him yet, have you?"

She shook her head. Then she walked over to the corpse, unfazed, and took the paper. "Is this where we are? Silent Hill?" It was a map.

"Let me see." Tess grabbed the map out of her hold.

"Hey..."

"Tess." She didn't release her gaze from the map. "This is different from the one I have in the car."

"So I heard your car! Why don't we just use that to get out of here?" Kila suggested in high hopes.

"How did you get here, anyway? And no, that's not possible."

Kila lowered her head.

"Hey, are you all right?" Tess asked.

"Yeah...I'm, uh, trying to think. I can't remember anything." On her head now, her hands tightened.

"You must have hurt your head real bad to forget. Is that what the bandages are for?" Tess looked at her, then remembered that Kila couldn't remember.

Kila shrugged. "Maybe. Let's go to that apartment. I think I need to lay down." Her head raised. It was paler, and serious.

"Okay. This way." Tess lead the way. The phone on her started to act up again. "What is wrong with this thing?" She held it in her hand.

"There must be another monster around." James stated reluctantly, and sure enough, there was.

Just one-- its arms were inside a straight jacket-thing, and it was all a gloomy brown color. Glowing, the eyes were easy to spot in the fog. The creature made eerie quirky movements. The low gurgling noises brought to life a realization in Tess's mind.

"Oh, God! Let's run!" Before Kila or Tess could advance forward, James rapidly took out his gun and shot four times consecutively, hitting the monster and bringing it to the ground. The cell phone quieted down.

"Was that 'him?'" Kila questioned in a mocking tone.

The phone acted up again.

"No, that's him!" James pointed behind Kila.

Tess stared on in utter horror. James held his gun firmly in his hand, a bit hesitant to shoot; he was afraid of harming Kila. Then Kila turned around to face him.

Pyramid Head stood tall, menacing. The pyramid was a cold, almost ebony, metal. He wore garments made of human flesh, decorated with the blood of his victims. One hand held the notorious Great Knife as he took a swing at Kila.

"Eeep!" She ducked in time for James to shoot.

It didn't seem to stop the glowing red person, but it slowed him down enough for them to get the hell out of there.

Behind them, they could hear the knife scrape the pavement in a steady heart-intensifying pace. They didn't stop until they reached the apartments.

James hurriedly unlocked the gate to the fence, and they ran into the apartment building's front door. Tess slammed the heavy door behind her, leaning against it and gasping for breath.

"What if he follows us?" Kila asked uneasily.

James shook his head. "I think we lost him. He doesn't usually give chase for long, anyway."

"W-why not?" Tess slid to the floor.

"Because..." he hesitated, "...he can usually find us at any time, if he really wants to."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Tess burst out.

James sighed. "I really don't know. We just have to be careful." He leaned against the wall, switching on his pocket flashlight to illuminate the room. The two girls looked around wearily while James watched; he'd already been here.

"So, what's your story?" Kila asked, turning to him. "How'd you get here?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "I...I came here looking for my wife, Mary. Have you seen her?" He held up a photograph, and both girls shook their heads.

"The hell's she doing here?" Tess frowned, looking at him incredulously. "I can't believe you came here willingly. In a place like this, your wife..." She stopped, knowing James probably realized the slim chances of Mary's survival.

He stared into his lap, looking lost. "I don't even know why I'm looking. She's dead."

"What?" The girls said in unison, turning around to face him fully.

"I got a letter from her, though. She said she'd be waiting in our special place..."

"That's really creepy." Tess shuddered. "If she's dead, James, maybe you should've just let it go."

"Too late now, in any case." Kila remarked.

James nodded. "I can't give up now. I'd give anything to see her again."

Tess now flopped down on the dusty floor. "I just want to go home..."

"Yeah, I'd like to know how that's possible. I don't even remember where mine is!" Kila sat down and tapped her head, like Pooh Bear.

James sighed.

Kila made a slight gasp; memories were starting to return to her again.

"What?" Tess glanced her way.

"I think I remember something." A coarse breath released from her body as she began. "It's only little things, like...a house, my home. It was a large mansion. I can almost taste my own family's wealth."

"Lucky." Tess murmured.

"I also remember my parents, but..." Kila was reluctant to continue.

"But what?" urged James.

"All I can see of them is everything but the eyes. They're gone, lifeless." A tear fell down her cheek, followed by another and another. She wiped them away with the tip of her sleeve. "I don't know why I'm so sad all of a sudden."

Weary from the sudden horror, shock and adrenaline today, Tess was drowsy. James noticed it. "We probably should find some place to stay, get some rest."

Tess nodded in agreement.

"We ought to find a weapon for each of us," Kila added.

"Hm. I've been through most of here, and that's how I got this." He held up the gun.

"I see. We could take turns staying up while the others sleep." suggested Kila, shrugging.

"Yeah. And we could find a room to stay in." Tess smiled at a comforting thought of a cozy, warm bed.

James was deep in thought. His gaze locked on to Kila's; it was contemplative and debating. Maybe she shouldn't have suggested to sleep. Tess caught on to the stare.

"What?" Tess asked, not really wanting to know what it might be.

Kila groaned.

James stood. "Sleep will have to wait. I know where we can get some more weapons, but we'll have to dodge some monsters."

"We can't do that later? You've still got the gun and that pipe." Kila said, motioning to the three foot long steel pipe he lugged around.

He shook his head. "I've hardly got any bullets left. If you want to tackle Pyramid Head with this thing," he raised the pipe, "be my guest."

Tess shuddered. "All right, where're the other weapons?"

"There's another handgun up on the third floor." James frowned, remembering the unpleasant closet incident. He'd been lucky that gun was conveniently sitting there. "And I've stored a wooden plank in the same room."

"A...wooden plank?" Tess asked slowly.

"It has nails in it." James replied matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything.

Tess fought the sudden urge to giggle, knowing how insane it would sound in these circumstances.

"Fine then, lead the way." Kila remarked, a bit reluctant.

"One more thing, before we go." James looked at Tess. "Turn your phone's volume up."

Tess pulled out her cell phone, giving James a confused look. "It's broken, though."

"I get it," Kila said, nodding. "The static gets louder when monsters are around."

"Yeah," James confirmed. "It's a good thing you have it, too, since my radio's batteries recently ran out." He glared at the portable radio strapped to his belt.

"Won't the monsters hear it?" Tess asked fearfully.

He shook his head. "As far as I know, they use sight and smell to find us. I'm not so sure about...him, though. The static doesn't always act up when he's around, too."

"I think that weapon is enough of a warning." Kila shuddered.

"I sure hope so." James frowned darkly, remembering the hospital roof.

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**Reviews and constructive crit are much appreciated. :D**


	3. Three

"Let's go." Kila stood up slowly and brushed herself off.

James led the way, silent.

They went up the stairs in silence, too tired to speak and too scared to care. Kila stopped to look at the minute light that fought its way inside. Ahead, James looked back catching a glimpse, no, a vision of...Mary when he saw the way the light hit her face. Sensing his gaze, she turned.

"Hm?"

"Come on, we are almost there."

Kila sighed.

Tess frowned down at them both tired and impatient, she was at the third floor already. They were taking their time trudging up the stairs. When James reached the top, he opened the door.

"I..." he began, but decided to reword what he was going to say. "Just stay behind me."

The temperature of the air decreased; it was cool and unpleasant. From the scarce light from James's flashlight, they could see that it illuminated the carved heavy scratch marks on the floor. Pyramid Head had already been there.

Kila had an instinctual bad feeling about this place. It wasn't just the apartment buildings, but the whole town of Silent Hill. Something wasn't right with it, yet it seemed so familiar.

A sharp gasp shattered the silence. Memories. This time Kila heard one voice and saw nothing. It was arguing with itself.

_"Don't do it, it's not right!"_

_"Do it. It's okay. Mommy and Daddy will be pleased if you do."_

_"Taking a human life is not the answer. What you're doing is wrong."_

_"Shut up. You know you want to. You just want to see them die."_

Tess shook her back into reality, giving her an odd look. Tess wasn't quite sure if Kila knew she was saying those things. Tess opened her mouth to speak, but what came out was drowned in the sound of James's gun.

There was another strange monster coming at them. This one hung from the ceiling in a cage. Its feet dangled down in the open, and as it came closer it attempted to reach for James.

James continued to fire away, his swearing muted by the gunfire. Tess and Kila hid behind the man, completely defenseless as the hanging monster inched closer and closer.

When it came within attacking range, suddenly the gunfire stopped, replaced by a clicking noise. James was out of bullets. He backed away, frantically trying to get a hold of his pipe, knowing he didn't have enough time to get it...

The monster finally shuddered, and stopped moving. It was dead.

The three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That was close." Tess said as James holstered his now relatively useless gun. He brandished the steel pipe now, frowning. He hadn't expected the hanger to be all the way up here, too. He found himself wishing he had his shotgun, but he'd dropped is in the hospital after nearly being stabbed by his formidable knife-wielding foe.

They continued onwards, opening a door to a new set of hallways; the static died off instantly. Tess felt a second wave of relief wash over her.

"Good," she whispered, "no monsters."

James stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around. "Not this way."

"What?" Both girls asked simultaneously, dismayed.

He shook his head, looking disturbed. "No monsters in an area we didn't clear ourselves is a bad sign. It's too quiet."

"But..." Tess protested, stepping forward; she stopped when the carpet under her feet made a squelching noise, and looked down. The tracks made by the Great Knife continued into these halls, but the trail of gore that went with them was still moist here. Not only had _he_ been here, he'd been here recently...was that why the monsters were gone?

"Alright, let's go back." Kila agreed, making the same realization as Tess. They turned back opening the door and returning to the previous set of hallways. The static did not return though.

Kila looked around, wary; it made no sense. There had been monsters here less that two minuted ago.

James swore quietly ad they retraced their steps, searching for a new way to get to their destination. He pulled at his apartment map picking out a new route.

He would've preferred to go his usual, familiar way to get to the room, but it had been blocked off with debris. The locations of the metal bars dividing the halls had changed, as well. Nothing in Silent Hill made sense, and nothing here was stable.

"Oh...oh my God." James' thoughts were cut off with Tess' gasp. She was staring, horrified, at a strange form on the floor. James tensed as he recognized the hanger from earlier. It had been torn out of its metal cage, the corpse brutalized and left in a heap on the ground. The bloody mass was nearly unrecognizable now.

As they stood there in a shocked silence, they could hear the faint, faraway echo of metal on wood...

"When did _he_ get here?" Kila was shaking as she and Tess exchanged horrified glances.

"If we have any chance of surviving, it's best we get that gun and get out of here." James urged them forward.

They walked cautiously in the hall passing by the doors one by one. The first was boarded up with wood and nails. The second door was cemented over.

Puzzled, Kila touched the cemented door and at that moment, alert and aware, something banged from the other side of it.

"Help me!" It screamed terrified ending in a pitiful sob.

Kila jerked back into Tess. Neither of them spoke; they were shocked. James moved closer to the door.

"Hello?" He paused waiting for an answer.

The three looked up at each other not knowing what to expect.

Kila spoke, "James, just get your map out and lead the way." Her gaze was forceful and persuasive.

Agreeing, he pulled out his map to make sure of his next direction and advanced. He then stopped suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" James asked looking around.

"Hear what?" Tess asked frightened.

"I-I don't know. It sounded almost like a laugh, an evil laugh." James's blue eyes trailed down to the ground.

"J-j -just shut up and move on." Kila pushed him. She didn't want to be in this place any longer. The voice from behind the door was too creepy, too familiar.

Tess ran in front of Kila. "I don't want to be the last one in line."

"Why?" Kila didn't need to ask; she knew. They were all afraid of what was in that room.

It was a cemented door and the only way to get into the apartment room unless someone tries the balcony, but the door to that apartment room was boarded up. It looks as if it hasn't been touched in years. The cement looked old, too. It looked as if it was done in a rush, which is why it was coarse and grimy. But why was it done in a hurry? What were the people so afraid of? Who felt the need to cement a door over, or block them? Are they trying to keep something out, or something in? No one would try and enter any of them, not normally. Though, they were just about to do just that.

James stopped. "This is it." He reached for the knob, but the knob turned for him. It opened with a welcoming creak.

The two girls looked onward, petrified. James raised his pipe and cautiously took a step into the room, looking around. He then walked right in, his gaze going instantly to the kitchen, where the abused bodies of Pyramid Head's victims still lay. They had begun to rot; the stench filled the small apartment.

"...It's clear." He finally said.

Kila nodded and took a shaky step inside, followed closely by Tess. They spotted the mannequin corpses and Tess turned away, trying not to vomit. The two stayed near the door, watching James head for the closet. He opened its door, peering inside.

He seemed to find what he was looking for, and motioned for Tess and Kila to come closer. They walked over and looked into the closet as well; on one shelf sat a handgun similar to the one James carried, and leaning against the wall was a wooden plank. It was covered in dried blood, bits of flesh clinging to the nails that jutted out of it.

"Well, take your pick." James said, shrugging a little. Then he narrowed his eyes, seeing the light from his flashlight reflect off something in the back of the closet. Upon closer inspection, he found three clips of handgun bullets.

"Can't believe I missed all these..." He frowned, holding them up.

"It's a good thing you did." Tess sighed with relief; she'd been worried that their guns would be useless.

"Who wants what?" James held up both weapons, a little impatient.

Tess looked at Kila. She really didn't want to be stuck with the plank; it was futile. Kila then reached past Tess and the gun to take the plank, examining it.

"I'm going to be in the middle of the line up." Kila figured Tess and James would cover the back and front, the last positions she wanted to be in. Besides, the plank didn't offer much protection if anything ever crossed their path. It was just plain ridiculous; guns are better.

"Good, now let's go." James looked uneasy being in this room.

It was safe, so they left the same way they entered.

"Where are we going now?" Kila asked.

"Out of here, that's for sure!" Tess replied, her free hand nudging gently at Kila's back to move faster.

They came upon the hanger's corpse again. Nothing was different this time. Relieved, James sighed. It was smooth sailing from there on. Together, they reached the stairs, then the main floor and the outside of the building. They ran the whole way.

Kila's hands dropped to her knees, breathing heavily she said, "Finally..."

James took a few steps forward, then turned back. "Come on." He waved to them to move on. He wasn't headed anywhere in particular. Fate would decide where they would wind up.

The three jogged in the center of the road, around any monsters they saw. The sidewalk was too risky; there was no way of knowing if something lurked in the alleyway ahead, or in one of the buildings.

After a while, the silhouette of a large building became visible in the distance. James slowed, eventually coming to a stop as he stared thoughtfully at the building. Tess followed his gaze, and spotted a sign in front of the structure; it read, Brookhaven Hospital.

A hospital? Tess almost smiled at their good fortune. After all, they'd probably need the supplies in there at one point or another.

"What is it?" Kila asked, looking at James. He turned to face her.

"I noticed that hospital band around your wrist." He frowned a little. "If it's from here, maybe you'll be able to remember something."

Kila's eyes widened. "You're right." She looked down, examining the hospital band. "It doesn't say the name of the hospital, though..."

"What's the number?" Tess asked, pointing at something Kila hadn't noticed before.

There was a tiny number printed just below her name: S10.

James came forward, taking a look. "That's a room number." He said.

"Have you been here before?" Tess glanced at him, and he nodded.

"Yeah."

"What's in the room then?" Kila questioned him.

James took out his hospital map, and his eyes widened. Once again, all the marks he'd made on it had mysteriously disappeared.

"What? What is it?" Tess asked fearfully. She didn't like it when James got that look on his face.

He slowly shook his head. "The buildings here have a way of changing every so often. I don't know what's in that room anymore."

"So it's uncharted territory now." Kila remarked, then shrugged. "Well, we're not going to accomplish anything by standing here." Not that she was too eager to waltz into an unfamiliar building with a wooden plank as her only defense.

"Let's get going then." James said, and led the way as Kila followed. Tess brought up the rear, gripping her gun tightly.

James continued to frown thoughtfully as they approached the hospital doors. He could get his shotgun back now, while they were at it. He wondered how different the place would be this time. Last time, a weird alarm had gone off and blood seeped from the walls ...not to mention, he had to run around outside in the dark afterwards. It had been horrible having to wait for light to come again; he hoped he wouldn't have to suffer through it again.

Slowly, he opened the doors. A gloomy creaking sound caressed their ears. Darkness. A few lights were on sporadically through the hallways.

"I don't like it here." Kila frowned.

"When did you like it?" Tess remarked.

"Hehe..." She took a few steps inside after James, nervously laughing.

James turned. "We probably should take the stairs. It's our safest bet." He led the way.

The walls were normal, as far as Silent Hill goes. Yet, doorways were blocked by rubble, including the one they were headed for.

"Aw..." Tess moaned.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Let's move the junk." Kila proposed.

James struggled with a wooden object, but he managed to get by. Kila and Tess cleared out the smaller items. While walking farther away from the other two in order to shove stuff aside, Kila froze.

"Do you hear that?"

"No." Tess replied, turning.

Slowly, Kila stood up and turned to face the yellow doors behind her. Breathing, heavy deep breathing was coming from the other side. Cautiously, she made her way back with them.

"What?" Asked Tess looking at Kila's frightened face.

"T-there is something behind that door."

Glancing beyond her shoulder, Tess saw and heard nothing. Curious, James moved to the door, then suddenly Kila spoke, "Curiosity killed the cat."


End file.
